The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip-Hop Generation.The Gospel Remix re·mix tr.v. re·mixed, re·mix·ing, re·mix·es To recombine (audio tracks or channels from a recording) to produce a new or modified audio recording: : Reaching the Hip-Hop Generation By Ralph C. Watkins With Jason A. Barr Jr., Jamal-Harrison Bryant, William H. Curtis, Otis Moss III Judson Press, January 2007 $14, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-817-01507-7 Hip-hop. What started as rollicking rol·lick·ing adj. Carefree and high-spirited; boisterous: a rollicking celebration. rol beats, colorful street graffiti and body-popping break dancing during the '70s in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. eventually became one of the world's most influential musical genres and a cultural movement that would invade every institution of contemporary society and culture. Today nothing seems amiss concerning hip--hop's influence on music, Western culture, clothing, and the new hip-hop lingo Lingo - An animation scripting language. [MacroMind Director V3.0 Interactivity Manual, MacroMind 1991]. that constantly pervades Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (think "bling-bling") each year. Now, hip-hop has progressively reached another movement--the hip-hop gospel movement. Several well-known religious leaders and scholars chronicle the combination of gospel and hip-hop in The Gospel Remix, which is considered a moving yet sophisticated approach to reaching the hip-hop generation through evangelism Evangelism Gantry, Elmer fire and brimstone, fraudulent revivalist. [Am. Lit.: Elmer Gantry] John disciple closest to Jesus. [N.T.: John] Luke early Christian; the “beloved physician.” [N.T. . The book provides introspective in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr and diversified accounts of successful tools used by religious scholars and prominent black Evangelical pastors who have welcomed hip-hop into their congregations. Evangelist and scholar Ralph C. Watkins, a professor at the Fuller Theological Seminary Through its three schools, Theology, Psychology, Intercultural Studies, and the Horner Center for Lifelong Learning, the seminary offers university-style education leading to 13 different degrees accredited by the Association of Theological Schools[1] and the Western in California, offers a barrage of ideas to appeal to a post civil rights generation who consistently associates success with material wealth, as well as the young, white-collar individuals who occasionally pop in a 50 Cent CD on their way to work, or even to church. In the Introduction, Watkins, author of I Ain't Afraid to Speak My Mind (Unity Council, 2003), asks pivotal questions that have weighed heavily on the minds of several leaders all over the world: "How do I become an involved participant observer in the hip-hop community? How do I take part in hip-hop? How do I get in, to sit in to be involved?" To gain some understanding of the culture, Watkins says, "I had to live these two passages, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 and Matthew 9:9-13. I had to become hip-hop by embracing one of the pillars of the culture. The vehicle to reach people was through the music, so I had to become a DJ. The first problem was that I was not a DJ." Watkins along with Pastors Jason A Barr, Jamal-Harrison Bryant, William Curtis and Otis Moss chronicle their personal experiences with the hip-hop generation, while engaging in a somewhat provocative dialogue on "how to get in, to sit in" and be involved in the hip-hop movement. The Gospel Remix is a slim book, just under 150 pages. Yet it is an insightful read that will open doors for more conversation on hip-hop and interfaith dialogue. Christopher Jack Hill is coauthor of the forthcoming book Who's Got the Power. |
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